No one wishes to see a match conclude abruptly. Especially when two players engage the crowd by delivering high-class performances. But that’s exactly what has happened between Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov. And mind it, the tennis world isn’t pleased with it.

At the 2024 Citi Open, the duo’s quarterfinal blockbuster ended in controversy. Shapovalov was defaulted from the event after the chair umpire awarded the Canadian with a point penalty for swearing at a heckling spectator. Moreover, despite Shelton’s repeated pleas to continue the match, the supervisor didn’t budge from his decision, leaving an air of disappointment.

In hopes of securing a place in the event’s last four, Shelton and Shapovalov engaged in a nail-biting contest in Washington. The 21-year-old narrowly edged past the Canadian’s challenge to clinch the opening set 7-6(5). Later, the American held his ground to gain a three-match point lead over Shapovalov in the second set’s tiebreak. However, the Canadian wasn’t having it.

Vexed on finding himself on the brink of defeat, Shapovalov repeatedly smacked his racket on the court. He also trash-talked a fan who was disrupting the match from the stands, leading to a heated confrontation between the two. This tense exchange did not do any favors for the Canadian talent. The chair umpire handed Shapovalov a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and proceeded to default him from the tournament after summoning the ATP supervisor to the court.

Furthermore, Shelton insisted that the play should resume, reiterating that he also heard the spectator provoking the former World No. 10. Ultimately, the unfortunate incident ended with Shapovalov lashing out at the supervisor and the 2022 NCAA champion winning the clash.

This, in turn, irked the tennis world. The tense situation elicited fans to voice their frustration with the biased decision on social media.

Tennis fans criticize ATP for Denis Shapovalov’s Citi Open fiasco

No one expected Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov’s showdown to end this way. Although the Canadian only suffered the repercussions of his conduct at the hardcourt event, tennis fans opined otherwise. Notably, they took to their official X handles to voice their concerns with the decision and proceeded to compare the tense situation with that of other ATP Tour players.

One fan questioned the authenticity of Shapovalov’s disqualification, asking why a controversial figure like Nick Kyrgios seemingly gets away with “swearing” on the court. “Why do Kyrgios or Fakovic never get disqualified for swearing?” While one tennis fan highlighted that a similar behavior from Serbian giant Novak Djokovic goes unnoticed by the authorities on multiple occasions by saying “Djokovic tells fans to STFU most matches – why does he not get DQ?”, another fan opined that “Djokovic gets away with way worse”. And that wasn’t the end of it.

Djokovic and tennis fans don’t have the best relationship, often leading to boos on the court. More often than not, he responds back to the crowd in some way but doesn’t always receive a penalty for it.

Another tennis fan advocated on behalf of the Canadian by rhetorically summarizing Nole’s past on-court enraging moments, outlining the flow of the consequences that would follow if the ATP were to affirm their stance for the 37-year-old’s actions. “Imagine if Novak was reprimanded every time when behaving abusive, disruptive or divisive? No antics and maybe able to enjoy the game and find some respect for him. Unfortunately, resent him for bringing negativity, entitlement and vulgarity to any given Tournament.”

One tennis fan chose to remain neutral on the incident, however, he urged the ATP to consistently practice their norms for every player on the circuit. “I don’t know if this was the wrong or the right call, but what I know is that we need the ATP to be more consistent with this kind of decisions. Same behavior should equal same consequences for all players.”

With Shapovalov pushed out of the tournament, Shelton has made it to the semifinals. The American will lock horns with Flavio Cobolli for a place in the event’s summit clash and have a shot at lifting his maiden Citi Open title!